Top swimmers descend in UAE for Fina World Cup

Dubai: At least 80 of the best long-distance swimmers from all over the world have started arriving for the last two rounds of the Fina 10km Marathon Open Water Swimming World Cup to be held later this month in Dubai and Sharjah.

The race is on to crown this year's open water world champions, and the swimmers have already started arriving for the last two rounds set on October 17 and 21 in Dubai and Sharjah respectively.

The penultimate round will be held at the Al Mamzar beach in Dubai, while the 13th and final round will be held at the Al Hamriya beach in Sharjah.

Ajman will also play a big role in the open water championships as it hosts the final round of the 15km Fina Open Water Grand Prix.

UAE set to host three international swimming events

UAE Swimming Executive Director, Ayman Saad, said this was the first time the UAE had staged three open water World Cups.

He noted that the UAE has been hosting open water swimming since 2002 and has built a great international reputation among Fina delegates and swimmers for being the most organised and best host in this discipline.

"We have set the benchmark and changed the rules for open water swimming along the way," he said.

"Open water swimmers love to come to the UAE because they know they will be part of a great event and they will be taken care of throughout their stay in the country. We have worked hard over the years to build a good reputation," Saad said.